Sandra Hutchens

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens appeared one more time Tuesday before an overflowing crowd at a Board of Supervisors meeting to explain her stance on concealed-weapons permits and why she will revoke some of the ones issued under her predecessor. But her explanation did not satisfy the permit advocates -- including representatives of the National Rifle Assn. -- nor the supervisors.

After the political shenanigans of Sheriff Michael S. Carona, who left office in midterm to fight corruption charges, Orange County supervisors wisely reached outside the cozy circle of the local power elite for an independent-minded law enforcement leader. That's what they got in Sandra Hutchens, a retired division chief from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens doesn't have a 2010 election opponent yet, but she laid out what appeared to be a blueprint Monday for how she plans to win voter approval. Using the end of her first year in office as the hook, Hutchens cited changes she made in jail management, said she had restored public trust in the office and would fire any deputy caught lying in so-called "code of silence" situations.

As Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens outlined $21.6 million in department budget cuts -- including an unprecedented layoff of 42% of the command staff -- to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, she also warned that next year's budget would probably be worse. Hutchens will lay off six of 14 captains and two of four assistant sheriffs to avoid laying off 16 investigators and two sergeants. The move will save the department $2.2 million.

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens on Monday unveiled a dramatic reorganization of the department that will consolidate such major services as operations and investigations and cut captains who oversee training and special projects. The changes combine similar services under one supervisor and increase the sheriff's role in overall operations. They are intended to help offset the department's $28-million budget shortfall. Over the last three weeks, Hutchens has personally informed each member of her command staff whether they will stay or go. Those leaving include Assistant Sheriffs Jack Anderson and John B. Davis, as well as Capts.

The man lurking in the shadows of a dark alley on New Year's Eve stopped Sandra Hutchens in her tracks. Hutchens was responding to reports of gunfire in a tough Lynwood neighborhood and spotted him in an open doorway as she and her partner hunted for potential suspects near a converted garage. A rookie deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department when the confrontation took place nearly 30 years ago, Hutchens said she would never forget the deadly gun battle that ensued.

Just after Orange County supervisors selected Sandra Hutchens as the first woman ever to lead the county's troubled Sheriff's Department, Santa Ana City Councilman Carlos Bustamante sidled up to a conservative blogger with a joke. "I kept telling the chief," he said, referring to Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters, who narrowly lost the sheriff's job, " 'Maybe we should get you some implants. Or a water bra.'

Newly appointed Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Tuesday that she intends to review all the concealed-weapons permits that her indicted predecessor issued and revoke those of gun owners who can't prove a legal need to carry the weapons. When former Sheriff Michael S. Carona resigned in January to focus on his upcoming federal corruption trial, he had issued more than 1,100 active carry permits -- among the most issued by any sheriff or police chief in the state.

With her tailored suits and thoughtful, confident demeanor, new Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens appears more like a polished corporate executive than a peace officer. But make no mistake about it: There's a lot of street cop in the new leader of California's second-largest sheriff's department.

With her tailored suits and thoughtful, confident demeanor, new Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens appears more like a polished corporate executive than a peace officer. But make no mistake about it: There's a lot of street cop in the new leader of California's second-largest sheriff's department. Hutchens spent the early years of her career patrolling violent inner-city neighborhoods south of downtown Los Angeles, arresting gang members, racing to assist deputies in danger and, in one defining moment, shooting and killing a man carrying a handgun.